Ding! HSV levels up
Dec 8, 2008 | 9:13 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: HSV
Posts: 876
Ding! HSV levels up
Well, after a goodly little bit of time under construction, the walls that separated the new wing of the airport came down Thursday night. Saturday morning, it's in operation.
Here's a news story about it; it's in video format, and likely to be a pop-up, too, with a commercial before the video. I'm nowhere on the video - it was shot in the just before noon, so it's loaded with a bunch of morning-shifters. I know 'em all - the guy on the x-ray (at 1:27) is an absolute hoot to talk to. Everything's a joke to him, and he's got the wit to back it up.
It's very nice, yeah, it's very pretty... very open, too. The acoustics are kind of strange because of the vaulted ceiling; it's very quiet with wonderful sound absorption, but you have to be careful with the volume of your voice because voices seem to carry really well in there.
There are some glaring practical problems with the new checkpoint area, too. Namely, and literally glaring, is the sun. The west-facing floor-to-ceiling windows get a lovely, albeit blinding and broiling, view of the sun from around 2pm until nightfall. The sunsets are beautiful though.
The light also makes it hard to see the x-ray screens sometimes, and make it hard for the blacklight (we have a big, desk-mounted version that plugs in so we didn't have to keep buying batteries for the hand-held ones; you can see it at 1:40-ish in the video) to show what it's supposed to show on various and sundry forms of ID.
Here's a news story about it; it's in video format, and likely to be a pop-up, too, with a commercial before the video. I'm nowhere on the video - it was shot in the just before noon, so it's loaded with a bunch of morning-shifters. I know 'em all - the guy on the x-ray (at 1:27) is an absolute hoot to talk to. Everything's a joke to him, and he's got the wit to back it up.
It's very nice, yeah, it's very pretty... very open, too. The acoustics are kind of strange because of the vaulted ceiling; it's very quiet with wonderful sound absorption, but you have to be careful with the volume of your voice because voices seem to carry really well in there.
There are some glaring practical problems with the new checkpoint area, too. Namely, and literally glaring, is the sun. The west-facing floor-to-ceiling windows get a lovely, albeit blinding and broiling, view of the sun from around 2pm until nightfall. The sunsets are beautiful though.
The light also makes it hard to see the x-ray screens sometimes, and make it hard for the blacklight (we have a big, desk-mounted version that plugs in so we didn't have to keep buying batteries for the hand-held ones; you can see it at 1:40-ish in the video) to show what it's supposed to show on various and sundry forms of ID.
Dec 8, 2008 | 11:10 am
#2
Join Date: Jan 2008
Programs: I work for the TSA
Posts: 848
Enjoy your new digs! 
Had the same problem in my old airport. The checkpoint was in a passageway with glass walls on both sides! 
After trying various things to minimize screen glare, management finally hung room-darkening shades behind the X-rays. Hoo boy, THAT looked good! NOT!
Unfortunately, form doesn't always follow function ...
Another example is the 'corrals' or 'fishbowls' at the alternate checkpoint at my current airport -- they're too narrow for two people to maneuver in, so we don't actually use them for passenger screening. Waste of money and space!
The light also makes it hard to see the x-ray screens sometimes,
After trying various things to minimize screen glare, management finally hung room-darkening shades behind the X-rays. Hoo boy, THAT looked good! NOT!
Unfortunately, form doesn't always follow function ...
Another example is the 'corrals' or 'fishbowls' at the alternate checkpoint at my current airport -- they're too narrow for two people to maneuver in, so we don't actually use them for passenger screening. Waste of money and space!